Kibu Vicuna provides update on Facundo Pereyra's injury

The 48-year-old tactician revealed that a good mood prevails in the Kerala Blasters camp right now.

Although Kerala Blasters started their Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 campaign on a poor note, they have lately shown signs of improvement with wins against Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC. Currently on a five-game unbeaten run, Kibu Vicuna and his boys would be keen to extend their streak on Sunday when they take on second-placed ATK Mohun Bagan.

Ahead of the important fixture, Vicuna and defender Jessel Carneiro addressed the media and shared their thoughts.

The Opposition

Kerala Blasters faced ATKMB in the opening game of the ongoing season on November 20. The Mariners won the match 1-0 because of Roy Krishna's individual brilliance and a few defensive mistakes from the Yellow Army.

When asked about the lessons learnt from the loss, Kibu Vicuna maintained that his team were not as bad as the result shows. "In that game, we had more ball possession. We also controlled the tempo of the match. Unfortunately, one accidental mistake between Sergio Cidoncha and Vicente Gomez helped Roy Krishna to score. Krishna is a good striker, but I wouldn't say that they were a much better team than us," he said.

He further added, "It's true that we did not create many chances, but we still played a good game. Now, although the circumstances are different, they are the former champions and are currently in second position. They also have fantastic players and a good coach. Facing them tomorrow is definitely going be a tough challenge."

Facundo Pereyra's injury

Earlier this week, Kerala Blasters confirmed that Facundo Pereyra will be out for an extended period of time due to injury. The attacking midfielder suffered a broken nose in training, just before the clash against Jamshedpur FC.

"I can give you no further updates on him because with injuries we have to go step-by-step," Kibu Vicuna said, when asked about the player. "He had a surgery yesterday and has been prescribed a recovery period of two weeks. The remaining details we have to see later. Obviously, we want him to be ready as soon as possible, but we cannot give a definite time-frame for it as of now because we don't know about it."

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Performance against Jamshedpur FC

The tactician was booked for a second time this season against FC Goa, as a result of which he received a one-match ban last week. He was hence unavailable for the game against Jamshedpur FC which ended in a goalless draw.

Speaking about the match he said that KBFC deserved to win. "I think the team did well, especially after the 25 minute-mark. We created enough chances to win. We even scored (Gary Hooper's shot that bounced back out), but the goal wasn't allowed. Overall, the team feels that they lost two points. In the second half also, we had more of the ball and controlled the game," he explained.

The former Mohun Bagan tactician also revealed how difficult it was to watch his team from the stands instead of being with them on the sidelines. "It was a difficult and different experience. For me, it is very hard to sit out and stay silent when my team is playing, but I had to do it.

"I had full confidence in my coaching staff and they did well in my absence. The team also, they played with a winning mentality and everything except scoring went as per plan. To sum up, it was another kind of experience, but I also hope that this was the last time that it happened," he added.

Tight Schedule

The Kochi outfit will play their eighth ISL game of this month on Sunday. Speaking on this tight scheduling, Kibu Vicuna said, "It has been very hard because tomorrow we will be playing our eighth game in the last 30-31 days. At times, it was very difficult to prepare for matches."

"But, I believe that every other team has also had similar scheduling issues. Speaking about the Blasters, I think the team is improving. The players have more confidence and they are competing very well. We have two very tough games coming up ahead (against ATKMB and Mumbai City), so we have to be in our best form to succeed."

Jessel Carneiro's comments

"All the players are giving their best both in matches and in training. We're working hard to be in the top four this season," the Goan full-back said, when asked about any possible changes in the players' mentality this season.

"We've a chance to qualify for the playoffs. We were unlucky not to win against Jamshedpur FC, but the points table hasn't moved since then. I guess we are lucky on that note. So, yes, definitely we have a chance and it is up to us to give our best performances in the matches ahead. Undoubtedly, we will be aiming to win the maximum possible points in the coming weeks," he signed off.